An opportunistic car “collector” used a test drive to make off with a Ferrari worth €2m (£1.7m; $2.2m).
The suspect had expressed interest in buying a 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO, police in the German city of Düsseldorf say.
He turned up by taxi to the dealership and two hours later, on a test drive, it was time to swap drivers.
But when the seller stepped out of the car, the would-be buyer quickly hit the accelerator and vanished. The car was later found in a garage.
Police say the “historic vehicle” with 43,000km (27,000 miles) on the clock should be valued at more than €2m.
A listing for the car on the dealer’s website says it once belonged to former Northern Ireland Formula 1 driver Eddie Irvine – who raced for Ferrari between 1996 and 1999.
Similar vehicles are frequently listed with prices around £1.5–2m, or above $3m in the US. They are often sold through specialist auctions at the likes of Sotheby’s.
Luckily for investigators, the distinctive car – in bright Italian “Rosso Corsa” red – attracted so much attention that it was quickly found on Tuesday evening after police appealed for witnesses.
It was discovered hidden in a garage in the town of Grevenbroich, not far from Düsseldorf city centre.
